Simon Westbrook

Simon Westbrook (1532-) was an English diplomat who served under Queen Mary of England.

Biography
Simon Westbrook was born in London, England in 1532, the cousin of Queen Mary of England. He entered into her service as a diplomat, and, in 1557, he arrived at the court of King Henry II of France after he and a crew of English soldiers aboard a warship rescued the drowning crew of a French warship as it took on water. Simon and the other Englishmen were received at King Henry's court, where he conversed with Mary, Queen of Scots and questioned her as to why she had not yet married Prince Francis, while the 7-year-old Prince Charles had already become betrothed to another child princess. Not long after, he was arrested after being accused of plotting to assassinate Sebastian de Poitiers, only to be acquitted of all charges shortly before he was due to be executed; Thomas, Lord of Palmela had been discovered to be the true perpetrator. Westbrook was recompensated with a large sum of money, praised with honors, and sent to serve in Portugal.